Easy Ways To Talk To Your Family About Your Love Life
Relationships can be difficult, but often the toughest part comes after you
have committed to each other, the part where you have to introduce your love to
your family.
It is never easy and your family members might have certain expectations
from you. Today we’re going to talk about some tricks you can use while
introducing the love of your life to your family.
Introducing your partner to your family is the next logical step you take
after you have solidified the relationship.
You can try to make sure that it goes smoothly, without any drama or
hiccups but your parents may be a bit on the conservative side and not open to
the idea of you dating a person of another race, ethnicity or religion.
Similarly, they may not be aware of your sexuality and this is where our
first point comes into play…
Have the Face-to-Face Talk
There is nothing wrong with you texting or calling to let them know about a
new development in your life.
However, nothing beats the good old fashioned Face-to-Face talk. When you
text someone, the other person only gets to see your words and it’s really easy
to misunderstand the emotions that are attached to it.
When you call someone they can hear your voice and perceive your emotional
state through your tone.
While, in a Face-to-Face conversation, they can see you and understand your
point of view better because they can pick up on the emotional signs of your
body language. These are subtle, soft signals that show happiness, sadness or
despair.
Additionally, having an offline conversation like this is more likely to
give you positive results.
Now, let's jump to point number two, which is…
Picking a Neutral Territory
Now, you might be thinking, "Hey , have you lost it?
You make it sound like a war or something." Well, no, I haven’t lost
it and it is kind of a negotiation more than a war.
You have to understand what the neutral territory represents.
Do you remember when you were a kid and felt safer to invite your friends
to your place instead of going to theirs?
Well, our house makes us feel safe and while having this conversation you
have to make sure that both you and your family members feel comfortable. Otherwise,
the situation can be a little awkward for everyone present and that may not be
a great idea.
Also, holding these difficult conversations like these in a neutral
territory is more likely to give you a positive result.
We would suggest that you play your cards right when you set up the
meeting.
Experts say, "If one intends on having face-to-face conversation but
are concerned about boundaries violation, consider having the conversation at a
'neutral territory' where both parties have equal grounds and can step aside to
regulate emotions, such as at a park."
So, there you go we have two points covered Face-to-Face conversation and
neutral territory.
Let's go to number three.
Explain What Your Partner Brings to the Table
This is the part that can be a little bit tricky for young couples. Because
you’re less experienced, you may not understand what you are adding to each
other's lives so it’ll likely be difficult to explain this. Try to take
some time to understand how you are adding value to each other’s worlds, think
about things like...is your partner your backbone?
How do you complement each other?
Once you have a clear picture of these types of things, then you are ready
to go in and relay this info to your family.
Your partner might be your rock, your best friend or great at providing
emotional and moral support.
Explaining these things will help to shift the discussion in your favour
and help your family members to understand your point of view.
With that, now you have three points covered for your face-off with your
family.
Let's move to number four…
Be Straightforward in Telling Them What You Want
This is something you have to clear about even before you set up the
meeting.
Ask yourself these questions, "Why am I setting up this meeting?
What do I want to achieve?” And “Do I want support from my family or am I
seeking their approval?"
A set agenda will help you gain an upper hand in the meeting. Additionally,
have a straightforward approach.
The more direct you are with your goal, the easier it will be for you to
achieve. Of course, it will require patience, your family members might not
necessarily approve of your partner first.
Even if that’s the case it doesn’t mean they never will.
Try to keep an open mind.
Speaking of talking, there might be more than one conversation involved and
this brings us to number five…
This May Take More Than One Conversation
We all wish we lived in a world where we could just introduce our partner
to our family members and they would instantly get along.
Our parents would congratulate us and have happy tears in their eyes, while
they say, "Well done, we are so proud of you." Unfortunately, this
isn’t always the norm.
You see, there are many different types of people in this world.
Not everyone is liberal and not everyone is as open and accepting of others
as you might be. This includes your family and telling them about this new
person in your life might take more effort.
For example, if you are going to come out to your family and tell them that
you are in a same-sex, open or polyamorous relationship, it could take some
time for them to accept it.
This ultimately depends on the kind of people they are and you will have to
be patient with them.
We would suggest that you take it slow, explain things to them in a step by
step process. This will help your family members accept the fact that you are
dating someone.
Always remember when it comes to relationships, slow and steady wins the
race.
The world is transforming everyday and while people are trying to keep up
with these changes, not everyone is good at it.
Some people take their own sweet time to adapt to the situation. For this
reason, it is very important to understand that you give your family members
the time and space needed to come to terms with this new development in your
life.
They are your family after all and even if it is tough at first, it will
eventually work out.
So, have you told your family who you are dating?
How did they react?
Let us know in the comment section below, we would love to hear from you.
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